A member of the governing board said the formation of the panel would speed up decision-making of the fledgling university.

Speedy decision-making is the reason why the Presidency mentor group, headed by Harvard professor Sugata Bose, suggested a lone panel for the university.

The governing board sets the College Street institution apart from other state universities, which have two decision-making bodies (like syndicate and senate at Calcutta University).

At the valedictory meeting of the Presidency University council (which gave way to the governing board) on May 29, it was decided that former Presidency vice-chancellor Malabika Sarkar, Harvard professor Sugata Bose, Nayanjot Lahiri (professor of archaeology at Delhi University), and Rahul Mukherjee (professor of statistics at IIM Calcutta) would join the board as the university’s nominees.

Presidency sources said that as the second convocation was drawing near, the board could not have been set up at a more appropriate time.

“The convocation will be held on August 22. Important decisions like who would deliver the convocation speech and who all would be conferred the D.Litt/D.Sc would have to be approved by the governing board. The board would also have to finalise the proceedings of the convocation,”said a university source.

Decisions like recruitment of teachers will have to be endorsed by the board, too.

A department official said the announcement of the “Appointed Day” amounted to transition of Presidency into a full-fledged university.

“The transition of a university becomes complete when its statute comes into effect. The announcement of the Appointed Day means that the Presidency statute — viewed as the university’s constitution — has come into force,” said an official.